Last days in Amsterdam
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
After a year, it’s hard to say goodbye to this city. It was hard to make the choice to spend a full two semesters abroad, and nerve-wracking coming here and settling in to a whole new country. But now, ten months later, I can’t have asked for a better way to spend my year.
I decided that for my last few weeks properly living in Amsterdam, before I embarked on a cross-Europe (+ Morocco) summer trip, I wanted to pack in a little of everything that made these months so special to me. Fortunately, the University of Amsterdam’s academic block system meant I wasn’t nearly as bogged down in final exams as I would otherwise have been, so I had the freedom to spend my last days however I wanted to.
With the Cineville pass (€19 a month, infinite film tickets – magic) I’d spent a pretty significant amount of time this year in the unique cinemas that Amsterdam offers. Among my favourites was a small, one-screen cinema called De Uitkijk, found just off Leidseplein. I rounded up the other pretentious people I knew and watched about 4 movies within a week, from old French New Wave classics like Hiroshima Mon Amour to more modern dramas like In the Mood for Love – a beautiful film that I’ve seen a fair few times and will never stop being annoying about. For anyone interested in film, Amsterdam’s smaller venues, like Studio/K, Lab111 and Kriterion, will offer just about anything you could be looking for.
My birthday happened to fall in these weeks, so my Polish friend Kacper and I decided to host a joint picnic, as his was around the same time too. Despite the exams, we pulled together about 80 people in Vondelpark between us. Admittedly, he did the legwork in invitations, but nonetheless it was amazing to see the tangible results of a year in a new city, with a whole new social world opened up. It was bittersweet knowing this would likely be the last time I see many of these friends, at least for quite some time, but I’m glad I got the chance to say a proper farewell.
Although I do have some further travels planned for the summer, I doubted that I’d get to see much more of the Netherlands. I took the chance to travel between different cities, taking afternoon trips to wherever I could think of. Among my favourites were Baarn, a small town with a bustling central market street, and Utrecht, a city close to Amsterdam that rivals it in beauty. The cycle from Amsterdam to Utrecht is one of the best I’ve made in my year: 40km, straight down a single riverside path. Catch it on a sunny day and it will be one of the most lasting memories you can make here.
Perhaps the saddest part of leaving has been saying goodbye to the political organisations and volunteering spaces I’ve spent so much time in over the year. I’ve had the chance to give talks, organise events, cook for the local community, host education sessions and more, all of which has enriched my understanding of Amsterdam’s local politics and given me organising skills that I know I’ll take forward into my future. Before we left, we had one more event scheduled, where I got to discuss an article I had written about British Euroscepticism for a local magazine. It was great to get the opportunity to ramble at an audience who had no power to shut me up. Hard as it was saying goodbye to my comrades, I was, and remain, deeply grateful for everything I have learned over the last year, and feel in good stead to continue working in activist spaces once I return home.
An exchange semester, or a full year, is daunting. It’s a tough decision to make, and not one to be taken on a whim. But if you do decide to go for it, you will never have an experience quite like it again in your life. It’s worth every challenge that it can (and almost definitely will) throw at you. If you’re struggling to choose a place to go, I have a recommendation.
